Australia says US has little time to save Asia-Pacific deal

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia's trade minister says Congress has only a few weeks left to pass key trade legislation that would clear the way for clinching an Asia-Pacific trade accord.

The U.S. House of Representatives last week rejected legislation crucial to U.S. involvement in the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which intends to create a region-wide free-trade area, including Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam.

Trade Minister Andrew Robb on Wednesday would not speculate on how continuing negotiations in the House of Representatives might end.

But Robb told Australian Broadcasting Corp. that "if it's not dealt with in the next two or three weeks, I think we've got a real problem with the future of the TPP."

Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/6df049c99fa94a09b88214b63cd823e7/australia-says-us-has-little-time-save-asia-pacific-deal

[SoapBox]

1. And.............

How transparent have YOU been with your citizens Mr. Australia?

Open up that thing for all of us to see and we'lol think about it. Until then...

Nada!

[dballance]

2. Let's hope so! /nt

[yallerdawg]

3. This thing has been in the works going on 10 years.

Sooner or later, your 'partners' have to start wondering...

Maybe we'll just let the world move on without us.

Except when they come after us. Unexpectedly, of course.

[elias7]

4. I might be a bit more patient, I mean, if you can get Lebron, then get Lebron, however long it takes

The US economy is bigger than Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam economies put together. What's his point?

[msongs]

5. the other nations can have the TPP without us. no prob there Mr. Australia nt

[nilram]

6. right. You guys give up your sovereignty to a secret deal run by corporations.

Let us know how it goes.

[djean111]

7. In the works for ten years, but now it needs to be done in 2-3 weeks.

So, um, changeable that even though Hillary Clinton helped work on it for years, it probably has changed so much since she worked on it that she cannot possibly be seen as agreeing with any of it.

Curious-er and curios-er.

[LiberalLovinLug]

8. There is opposition to the deal in Australia

[Aerows]

9. In New Zealand, too

The deal is going to hurt financially strong countries (or at least their citizens). Corporations are the only ones that are going to win.

[magical thyme]

10. there is opposition I think in most if not all of the countries involved.

the people do NOT want this. everybody is concerned with sovereignty, including the few politicians that are not on the take.